Prior art automatic dispensing machines are most often designed to provide the user with only a single-sized cup regardless of the type of beverage chosen. There are other automatic dispensing machines that utilize variously sized cups according to the beverage chosen but limited to large or medium sizes, but not as small as those usually used for espresso-type coffee. EP 1818881 discloses an automatic dispensing machine that provides a large or medium sized cup corresponding to the selected beverage. In such a vending machine the cup is delivered by dispensing towers through a dispensing cone that connects the exit paths of the cup dispensing towers. Once delivered, the cup is stopped in place upon a support placed towards the user and filled with the chosen beverage through a nozzle that is in a raised position with respect to the edge of the cup.
GB 1604306 discloses an automatic dispensing machine for beverages that is provided with two dispensing towers, in which variously sized cups can be used. The cup holder device is connected to a shaft by a system of cams and springs that allows movement towards either of the cup dispensing towers and the relative positioning of the holder device in correspondence to the exit paths of the cup dispenser. The shaft moves only in an orthogonal direction to the axis connecting the centers of the cup dispensing towers and the holding device can move only at a small angle, right and left in relation to the user, in the direction of the exit-paths of the cup dispensing of the two cup dispensing towers. This device does not allow calibration of the system in such a way to easily fill large, medium and also small sized cups. Moreover, the presence of cams and springs makes the device subject to wear and maintenance problems due to inevitable and frequent cleaning and disinfection of the dispensing machines.
As previously described, one of the main disadvantages of such known machines is that the applied configurations and operating systems do not allow the use of small sized cups, in addition to large and medium cups, in a single machine. The small sized cups, for example those used for espresso-type coffee, generally have a height and a diameter smaller than 60 mm. These cups require, besides supports adapted to receive such small cups, specifically sized nozzles arranged in the vicinity of the edge, or better, within the cups to ensure that sugar, a stir stick and coffee are dispensed properly into the cup. The automatic beverage dispensing machines of the prior art generally have a mounted nozzle system for dispensing various beverages, a sugar dispenser and a stir stick dispenser, each having a single product dispenser exit which appears to be well proportioned, if compared to the size of large and medium sized cups but not to smaller sized cups, such as espresso-type coffee cups. In the latter case it is necessary that the cup be positioned below and very close to the various dispensers so that the various products can be correctly served.